About Audio Cleaner
This tool tidies up a recording of your voice: a podcast segment, a tutorial voice-over made on a phone, or a voice note you want to post. Upload the file and adjust a few controls: noise reduction for steady background sound such as air conditioning, fans or hiss; a high-pass filter that cuts low rumble and hum; an optional low-pass filter for sharp hiss; and loudness normalization to −16 LUFS, a common level for podcasts and social video. You can also trim silence at the start and shorten long pauses.
When processing is done you get two players, Before and After, so you can hear the difference before downloading. Save the result as MP3 for a smaller file or WAV for lossless quality. For noise reduction the tool first measures the noise level in your own recording and tunes the filter to it, so there are no numbers to guess. Everything runs in your browser with ffmpeg.wasm, and the recording is never uploaded.
Why use it
- Reduces steady background noise after measuring its level in your recording.
- Brings loudness to −16 LUFS so your audio is not quieter than everything around it.
- Lets you compare the original and the cleaned version on the page before downloading.
- Accepts MP3, WAV, M4A and WebM; exports MP3 or WAV.
- Free, no account, and the file stays on your device.
How to use
Upload the recording
Drag the file onto the drop area or click to choose it. The limit is 80 MB and 20 minutes. A Before player appears so you can hear the original.
Set noise reduction
Move the Noise reduction slider from Off up to 30 dB. The default of 12 dB suits most recordings; raise it if the noise is still obvious.
Choose filters and options
The high-pass filter starts at 80 Hz to remove hum. Turn on the low-pass filter if there is hiss, keep loudness normalization on, and enable silence trimming if you want it.
Pick a format and clean
Choose MP3 at 192 kbps or 16-bit WAV, then press Clean audio. A progress bar shows the work; the first run also loads the audio engine, about 31 MB.
Compare and download
Listen to the After player, compare it with the original, then press Download. Not happy? Change the settings and run it again.
Examples
Tutorial recorded next to an air conditioner
A 6-minute voice-over has a clear AC hum underneath. With 18 dB of noise reduction and the 80 Hz high-pass filter, the hum drops a lot and the level lands at −16 LUFS.
A quiet voice note
A note recorded from across the room sits around −35 LUFS. Leaving loudness normalization on is enough to make it comfortably audible without touching the volume yourself.
Podcast episode with long pauses
A 20-minute episode starts with dead air and has long thinking pauses. Silence trimming removes the silent start and shortens every pause longer than a second to about half a second.
Recording with sharp hiss
A cheap microphone adds a high whine. Set the low-pass filter to 12 kHz with moderate noise reduction and the hiss softens while the voice stays clear.
| Option | Values | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Noise reduction | Off to 30 dB (default 12) | Steady noise: AC, fans, hiss |
| High-pass filter | Off, 60, 80, 100, 150 Hz | Electrical hum, wind, rumble |
| Low-pass filter | Off, 16, 12, 8 kHz | Sharp hiss in the background |
| Loudness | −16 LUFS, peaks at −1.5 dB | Recordings that are too quiet or too loud |
| Silence trim | Below −45 dB counts as silence | Silent starts and pauses over 1 second |
Tips
- Start with the default noise reduction and go up slowly; very high values can make a voice sound metallic or muffled.
- Noise reduction works on steady noise. Changing sounds such as other people talking or car horns are not removed this way.
- Use the 8 kHz low-pass only for very harsh hiss, since it also dulls sounds like “s” and “sh”.
- Choose WAV if you will edit the file further, and MP3 if you will publish it straight away.
- If the result is empty or far too short after trimming, the recording is very quiet; turn trimming off and try again.
Processing runs in your browser with ffmpeg.wasm and the recording is never uploaded. Only the audio engine is downloaded on first use.
Frequently asked questions
Does it remove all noise?
It clearly reduces steady noise such as air conditioning, fans and hiss. Changing sounds, like voices or music in the background, are not removed by this method.
How does it know the noise level?
Before cleaning it makes a first pass over the recording, measures the level of short slices, takes the quietest parts as the noise floor, and tunes the afftdn filter to it.
What does −16 LUFS mean?
LUFS measures loudness the way ears perceive it. −16 LUFS is a common target for podcasts and social video, so your recording ends up close to the level of other clips.
What is the difference between the two filters?
The high-pass filter removes everything below the chosen frequency, such as hum and wind. The low-pass filter removes everything above it, such as sharp hiss.
What exactly does silence trimming do?
It removes silence at the start and shortens every pause longer than one second to about 0.4 seconds. Anything quieter than −45 dB counts as silence.
Which formats can I upload?
MP3, WAV, M4A and WebM, and usually OGG and AAC too. If a file has several audio tracks, the first one is processed.
Can I upload a video?
Yes, an MP4 within the limits works. The tool takes only its audio and ignores the picture; the result is an MP3 or WAV file.
What are the limits?
Up to 80 MB and 20 minutes. These limits protect the browser, since all processing happens in your device's memory.
Will the quality drop?
WAV adds no compression loss. MP3 at 192 kbps is usually indistinguishable for speech. The output sample rate is 44.1 kHz.
Why does my voice sound metallic now?
Noise reduction is set too high for your recording. Lower it to 8 or 12 dB, run it again, and compare using the two players.
Is my recording uploaded?
No. The file is processed in your browser and the result is created on your device. Only the audio engine is fetched from the internet.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, but phones are slower. Start with short recordings and keep the page open until it finishes.
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